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List of From the Earth to the Moon cast members

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This is a list of actors who play significant real and fictional characters in the 1998 HBO docudrama TV miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.

Fictional and/or connective characters

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  • Tom Hanks appears as host of the first 11 episodes, introducing each from in front of a huge relief sculpture of the Greek god Apollo. This format is not used for the final episode, "Le Voyage dans la Lune", in which Hanks appears in character as Jean-Luc Despont, assistant to French filmmaker Georges Méliès.[1][2]
  • Lane Smith portrays Emmett Seaborn, a fictional news reporter for a fictitious television network. Seaborn appears in 6 episodes, covering America's space program from the earliest days through the flight of Apollo 13. He also appears in the final episode, reporting on the final Apollo 17 lunar mission, and is himself an interview subject in a mock documentary. The fictional character was added to provide a sense of continuity to the series, often serving as a Greek chorus. Seaborn's personality is similar in some respects to Walter Cronkite, though the real Cronkite is mentioned at times and seen in archive footage. The use of a fictional character also allows for dramatic conflict to be created more easily in episode 8, "We Interrupt This Program," with another fictional reporter.[3]
  • Clint Howard as fictional flight controller Paul Lucas in episode 5, "Spider," and episode 8, "We Interrupt This Program".
  • Jay Mohr as Brett Hutchins, a fictional young television reporter who competes for Emmett Seaborn's job in episode 8.
  • John Michael Higgins as the host of a fashion show featuring the nine wives of NASA Astronaut Group 2 in episode 11, "The Original Wives' Club".
  • Blythe Danner provides voice-over narration for much of the final episode, which is presented in a documentary format.

Astronauts

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First Astronaut Group ("The Mercury Seven")

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  • Ted Levine as Alan Shepard, one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. America's first astronaut to fly in episode 1 "Can We Do This?", and commander of the Apollo 14 Moon landing mission in episode 9 "For Miles and Miles".
  • Mark Rolston as Gus Grissom, Mercury and Gemini veteran who commands the ill-fated Apollo 1 in episode 2 "Apollo One", killed along with Ed White and Roger Chaffee, also seen at CAPCOM station, during White's EVA on Gemini 4 in episode 1.
  • Mark Harmon as Wally Schirra, Mercury and Gemini veteran who commands Apollo 7 in episode 3, "We Have Cleared the Tower", originally backup commander of Apollo 1.[1]
  • Robert C. Treveiler as Gordon Cooper, Mercury and Gemini veteran seen at CAPCOM during Gemini 4 in episode 11, "The Original Wives' Club", and in TV interview during episode 9.
  • Nick Searcy as Deke Slayton, grounded Project Mercury astronaut who becomes Director of Flight Operations, responsible for supervising the astronauts and determining the flight rotation, appears in all the episodes except "The Original Wives' Club".[4]

Second Astronaut Group ("The New Nine")

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  • Tony Goldwyn as Neil Armstrong, part of 1962's Astronaut Group 2, performs first docking in space as commander of Gemini 8 in episode 1, and is the first human to set foot on the Moon on Apollo 11 in episode 6, "Mare Tranquillitatis".[5]
  • David Andrews as Frank Borman, commands his first flight on the Gemini 7 14-day endurance mission, and also commands the first flight to the Moon on Apollo 8 in episode 4, "1968". He also serves on the investigation board of the Apollo 1 fire in episode 2, "Apollo One", and appears in episode 11, "The Original Wives' Club".
  • Peter Scolari portrays Pete Conrad in episode 1 as he joins NASA in 1962 in the second group of astronauts, intended to fly in Project Gemini. Paul McCrane is cast as Conrad in episode 7 "That's All There Is", as commander of the second lunar landing mission, Apollo 12.
  • Tim Daly as Jim Lovell, who flies with Borman on Gemini 7 and commands Gemini 12 in episode 1, flies with Borman again on Apollo 8 in episode 4, commands Apollo 13 (off-screen) in episode 8, "We Interrupt This Broadcast", and appears in episode 11.[1]
  • Conor O'Farrell as James McDivitt, commander of Gemini 4 in episode 1, and commander of Apollo 9 in episode 5, "Spider". Later seen as Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program in episode 8, and heard briefly in radio broadcast during Gemini 4 in episode 11
  • Steve Zahn as Elliot See, scheduled to command Gemini 9 but killed in a plane crash before the flight in episode 1.
  • Steve Hofvendahl as Thomas P. Stafford, flew on Gemini 6A, and commanded Gemini 9A (both off-screen), seen briefly as commander of Apollo 10 in episode 5. Also backup commander of Apollo 7 in episode 3, and originally slated to fly with Alan Shepard on first crewed flight of Project Gemini, before Shepard`s grounding in episode 9. Also seen during astronaut briefing in episode 1.
  • Chris Isaak as Ed White, America's first astronaut to walk in space on Gemini 4 in episode 1, later killed in a fire preparing for Apollo 1 in episode 2.
  • John Posey as John Young, who flew two Gemini missions and on Apollo 10 (all off-screen), and commands the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission in episode 11. Also backup crew member of Apollo 7 in episode 3. Also seen arrival of astronaut group, and later astronaut briefing, in episode 1.

Third Astronaut Group

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Fourth Astronaut Group

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  • Tom Amandes as Harrison "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist-astronaut from 1965's Astronaut Group 4 responsible for improving the method of training the lunar explorers as part of Apollo 15 backup crew in episode 10. He flies as Lunar Module pilot on the last lunar mission, Apollo 17 in episode 12.
  • Geoffrey Nauffts as Ed Gibson, serving as CAPCOM during Apollo 12 in episode 7. Nauffts’ character is a composite character of Gibson and Gerald Carr.

Fifth Astronaut Group

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Sixth Astronaut Group

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NASA ground personnel

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Astronauts' family members

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Non-NASA personnel (non-fictional)

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Cameo appearances

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  • Andrew Chaikin, the author of the 1994 book A Man on the Moon on which the miniseries is largely based, appears in episode 1 as the moderator of NBC's Meet the Press.
  • Günter Wendt appears in the background, sitting to Wally Schirra's (Mark Harmon) left, as an anonymous flight controller observing a contentious review and discussion of the Apollo 7 flight plan, along with Deke Slayton (Nick Searcy), John P Healey (Brandon Smith) and several other anonymous NASA personnel, in Episode 3 "We Have Cleared the Tower".[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g James, Caryn (April 3, 1998). "Television Review; Boyish Eyes on the Moon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Nichols, Peter M. (September 6, 1998). "Television; From Earth to the Moon and Back, for More Bows". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "TAKING FLIGHT WITH 'EARTH TO THE MOON'". The Washington Post.
  4. ^ King, Susan (March 19, 2013). "Nick Searcy brings authenticity to his characters". Los Angeles Times.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c Snowden, Scott (July 15, 2019). "HBO to Air Epic Mini-Series 'From The Earth To The Moon' Ahead of Blu-ray Release". Space.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  6. ^ Wendt was not a NASA employee; though he worked at the Florida launch facilities, he was employed by McDonnell Aircraft during the Mercury and Gemini programs, and by North American Rockwell for the Apollo program. Wendt was not Pad Leader at the time of the Apollo 1 fire; Wally Schirra insisted on North American hiring him so he could be the Apollo Pad Leader.
  7. ^ "Guenter Wendt". Apollo Lunar Surface Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2019 – via NASA.

References

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  • Farmer, Gene; Dora Jane Hamblin (1970). First On the Moon: A Voyage With Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. Boston: Little, Brown and Co. pp. 51–54. Bibcode:1970fomv.book.....F. Library of Congress 76-103950.
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